Introduction
The book discusses on the consequences of societal and self identity consciousness on the possibility of adaptive examples of behavior. The author does a good job in including the accommodation that could come up when stigmatized persons intermingle with individuals termed as normal, in direct physical closeness with each other under certain and defined social settings (Goffman, 1986).
The book deals with a number of definitional facets of stigma. The author, through the book distinguishes ego identity. From my understanding ego identity is portrayed as the personal feelings of a stigmatized person and how they are able to manage this feeling versus the practical tests of social identity administration. This is the result of stigmatization over a certain period. The aspect of the complex nature is also brought out the different intricacies on whether the stigma could be uncovered before the individuals meet, and the degree of the perception that the stigma presents to the persons concerned. The author tries to espouse the period and the resulting identity management deliberations prior to and after the individuals meet. This involves both persons termed as normal and stigmatized. The author also attempts to introduce a multidimensional psychoanalysis that goes ahead to elicit various techniques for handling any conditions that may arise. These techniques involve both tension and information management (Goffman, 1986).
I have realized that the book sets out to investigate the exact phases in the socialization of individuals termed as stigmatized. This investigation covers the period, in which they put effort to resolve experienced gaps between their self perceived realities and the individual standards that they may relate to themselves. The book is cautious to indicate the effect of social group on these stigmatized persons and the consequences of these individuals on their efforts to achieve self realization. There are attempts to broaden explicit issues at the core of stigmatization and the identity management to the community (Goffman, 1986). In my view common individual and societal values may not be entrenched anywhere but may still impact negatively on meetings between the normals and the stigmatized everywhere.
In my analysis, the book stresses that individual customs breed differences as well as similarities hence confirming that stigma management is a common aspect of society. I can also emphasize that it is a practice that occurs anywhere there are individual customs. I support the increasing understanding of these concerns in order to enable both parties to take part in the normal and deviant drama. The author goes to the extent to state that both normal and stigmatized represent perspectives and not individuals.
In his book, the author explains a win/win variation that involves a structure that enables implicit collaboration between the normals and stigmatized individuals. The deviator can afford to manage to stay affixed to the norm as others are cautious to revere the author’s secret (Goffman, 1986).
Conclusion: Personal Conclusion
I believe that we should be using a proposal on the observations of deviations and deviance on different societal scales. Starting with undersized family units to personal meetings with moral deviations, observations go on to cover municipal level social unorthodox individuals who may articulate a shared defiance of the social order. All these parts are of sociological apprehension that may be promoted from detailed studies of Stigma. The awareness that may be generated and the education gained may prove to be valuable (Kuper, 1998). I also believe that these original fears are a common subject common by many established fields of social crisis research and management.
References
- Goffman, E. (1986). Stigma: Notes on the Management of Spoiled Identity. New York: Simon & Schuster.
- Kuper, A. (1998).The Social Science Encyclopedia. London: Taylor & Francis.